This invention relates to winch handles or hand cranks which are used to manually operate a winch or capstan. For example, many larger sailboats utilize winches to provide a mechanical advantage in controlling lines such as a fairleads and halyards. The winch has a drive socket for releasably receiving a lug of the winch handle. The line is wrapped around the drum of the winch, and the winch contains gears to provide a mechanical advantage between the crank and the drive socket and drum.
A conventional winch handle comprises an arm extending away from the rotational axis of the winch, and an upright shaft at the free end of the arm. A handle of generally tubular shape is rotatably mounted on the shaft. The crane is rotated by manually grasping the handle, with the palm of the hand being generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the handle and winch. Another conventional version currently in use comprises a pair of identical rotatable tubular handles mounted in succession on a common shaft. This permits two handed operation by one or two people. The latter type is used primarily for heavy load conditions because it is larger and more clumsy to use and store than the single handle version. In sailboats, winch handles are normally stowed in vertical pockets in the cockpit with the grip projecting at right angles at the top of the pocket.